Where do clouds come from
Welcome! I'm so excited to explore the sky with you. Before we dive into how those massive, fluffy clouds form, I'd love to know a bit about what you already know and what brings you here today.
I'm starting from scratch and just curious!
Let's start at the very beginning of the cloud recipe. It all begins right here on the ground, where liquid water transforms into an invisible gas called water vapor through a process called .
The Sun as the Earth's Engine
The ultimate driver of this entire process is the Sun. When sunlight beats down on Earth, it transfers thermal energy to our oceans, lakes, puddles, and rivers. This thermal energy acts like a battery charger for water molecules, giving them the kick they need to break free and float up into the air. Without the Sun's heat, water would stay locked in its liquid state, and our skies would be completely cloudless!
A stylized cross-section showing sunlight transferring energy to water, causing surface molecules to break free as vapor.
I've started creating a visualization of this process so you can see exactly how the Sun's energy helps those molecules break free and begin their upward journey.